As we begin our second month of adjusted intake at the VMTH, I want to thank all of you for working together so successfully to accommodate the ever-changing atmosphere of the hospital. I’m sure many of you have been asked by your clients, colleagues, friends, and families about the possibility of animals contracting SARS-CoV-2, and potential transmission to humans. While there have been a few
positive cases of animals with the disease, infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations agree there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets spread COVID-19 to other animals, including people. For more information to share with interested parties, I have a
FAQ document on the ISCAID website, and the
CDC has also recently released guidelines for veterinary clinics. While it has questions that pet owners might ask, there is also much information at a level for veterinarians. We also have a more
pet-owner-friendly version on our website – thank you Dr. Ilana Halperin for your efforts with that. There are many other activities throughout the school surrounding the pandemic. I was pleased to recently help host a successful CE event educating veterinarians on the latest with COVID-19. In addition, our
media relations efforts have been robust, allowing us many opportunities to educate the public on the veterinary aspects of this disease. I want to thank Drs. Melissa Bain and Liz Stelow for helping with those efforts, giving pet owners a unique look into their pets’ behavior as all our families’ schedules have changed. All of these articles and much more can be found on the school’s extensive
coronavirus resources page. Please continue your outstanding efforts as we stay available for clients and their animals, and stay tuned for updates as we plan for gradual increases in services in the month of May. Your efforts are appreciated not just internally, but by all in our community.
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Dr. Jane Sykes
Chief Veterinary Medical Officer
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The hospital’s Focused Recognition Award Program provides an opportunity to highlight our ongoing Cultural Journey and recognize those who have provided remarkable progress within our five Cultural Beliefs: One Team, Trusted Dialogue, Pursue Excellence, Realize Our Vision, and Value People.
April recipients:
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Jacki Martin, a Client Services Representative in Reception B, was recognized for demonstrating the Cultural Beliefs of
Pursue Excellence, One Team,
and
Realize Our Vision,
which contributed to the Key Result of
Excellence in Patient Care and Client Satisfaction. “Jacki coordinated proactively with Radiation Oncology for the closure of Reception B. She is ensuring the care of our ongoing patients. She then volunteered to call all the clients. Further, Jacki helped come up with a solution for clients to reach us. Amazing teamwork!”
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Mike Etcheverria, an Animal Technician with the Barn Crew in the Large Animal Clinic, was recognized for demonstrating the Cultural Beliefs of
One Team and
Value People, which contributed to the Key Result of
Excellence in Patient Care and Client Satisfaction. “Mike helped capture an aggressive pig that escaped from a stall at 3:30 in the morning. He then repaired and secured the stall so the pig was not able to get out again. Thank you, Mike!
”
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Key Cultural Pillar
"Trusted Dialogue"
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Cooper, a 16-year-old quarter horse gelding, was examined by Drs. Nicola Pusterla and Colleen Heney of the Equine Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service for evaluation and treatment of a facial deformity. Sinus and dental radiographs showed abnormalities of his facial bones and sinuses, most likely from a past trauma. A large amount of pus (consistent with an infection) was observed, as well as haired skin that had infiltrated his sinus cavity – this needed to be surgically removed to prevent further infection. Members of the equine surgery team—faculty clinician Dr. Scott Katzman, resident Dr. Cileah Kretsch, and intern Dr. Mark Hall—were brought in to perform the procedure. The team was able to flush abnormal material from the sinus with endoscopy and remove the haired skin surgically. Sutures were used to close the wound, but Cooper’s owner Robyn Armstrong was concerned about their failure a week later at home. Through photos and email, the VMTH team was able to communicate with Armstrong and Cooper’s referring veterinarian, preventing another 2-hour journey to UC Davis. Dr. Heney even worked with the pharmacy to have Cooper’s medications mailed to Armstrong. Dr. Katzman recommended patience to see how the wound would heal with time, even though the sutures were not ideal. “I was worried initially,” said Armstrong. But she held out hope and trusted the team. Thankfully, with continued stall rest, antibiotics, and an equivizor, Cooper had a full recovery, with his wound completely healing in about six weeks – just as Dr. Katzman had hoped. “The surgery ended up being a great success,” said Armstrong. “And now, I am so beyond thrilled and happy. I appreciate all the work by the entire team that went into healing Cooper.”
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COVID-19 Update:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the VMTH leadership is continuously re-evaluating recommendations from public health officials, the CDC, WHO, and AVMA amongst others. The guidelines presented here are fluid, based on what our current state of knowledge is, and may change as the recommendations from the aforementioned agencies change. Realizing there are multiple sources of information and various practices being enacted by different veterinary facilities, we seek to clarify the guidelines for the VMTH.
Some of the strategies we continue to undertake include:
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- As of April 15, following acquisition of sufficient provisions for all hospital personnel, everyone is required to wear a face covering in communal areas of the hospital when physical distancing (6 feet) is not possible or reasonable. This is in an effort to protect those around us from asymptomatic transmission. Facemasks are available from Central Service.
- In accordance with campus directives, the VMTH permits continuation of critical clinical research efforts (including formal clinical trials and other clinical research studies) only on patients that were previously enrolled in studies and where delaying treatment or laboratory testing will lead to adverse patient outcomes or significantly impact the outcome of the trial and render previous work invalid. New patients should not be enrolled into clinical research studies during this period. The VMTH laboratory services will not accept research samples for processing unless they are part of an existing clinical trial with previously enrolled patients.
- Currently, public health officials nationwide emphasize that based on all available literature, there is no evidence that animals are important as sources of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, either as fomites or shedders of virus, and that human-to-human interactions drive transmission. Experimental infections should not be considered representative of the “field” situation. Until more evidence is available, to err on the side of caution, VMTH protocol is that animals that live indoors with owners that have current illness be decontaminated using Chlorox® hydrogen peroxide wipes on admission to the hospital as possible.
- Clients are not allowed to enter the VMTH. Exceptions for this rule would include: clients whose animals are to be euthanized, clients who are considering euthanasia, or clients who have critically ill animals whose survival is not expected. Those clients should be escorted to a designated visitation area while staff maintain appropriate physical distancing.
- We are planning an increase in services starting on May 4 and will be communicating this plan next week once it has been solidified.
Wellness Tip of the Month:
Florence Soares-Dabalos, MS, LMFT, the VMTH’s client support counselor/grief counselor, offers a brief tip on managing stress through the current crisis. Please see the
full website of services that Florence offers.
- To manage stress during uncertain times, keep a regular routine. Routines help us stay focused, help with sleep and eating patterns, and help with normalcy.
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